Straw Bale GardeningMy Personal Experience

Lee Ann WilleIllinois Master NaturalistIowa Master Conservationist

Behold my friends, the spring is come; the Earth has the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love. -Sitting Bull

Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. - Luther Burbank

The master of the garden is the one who waters it, trims the branches, plants seeds and pulls the weeds. If you merely stroll through the garden, you are but an acolyte. - Vera Nazarian

Time to think SPRING

Table of Contents (my ramblings)• Why Do It?

• Pluses• Minuses

• What Do You Need?• Basics

• Getting Started (now the fun begins)• Conditioning Your Bale (not your hair)• Planting• Harvesting (hope you like tomatoes)

• Resources

Why do it? – Pluses (+’s) • Relatively inexpensive

• If you have limited space

• Can grow most vegetables

• Allows for earlier planting

• Less water (can’t overwater)

• No soil fungus splash from rain

• Practically weed free

• Like raised beds for disabled (portable if strong)

• Straw can be composted or dug into soil

• No soil or container needed

• Can be placed in same spot year after year

• Pests don’t like it

Why do it? – Minuses (-’s) • Bale usually last just one

season

• May need a ground cover to keep grass or weeds from growing into the bale

• Mat needed if on patio or deck to prevent staining

• Also ask where the bales come from and what if any pesticides were used

What do you need? • Straw bale(s) not hay

• Shop around – we’ve used Wallace’s in Davenport

• Fertilizer (high in nitrogen)

• Water – from our rain barrels

• Tools – Small pruning saw, trowel, cages and/or poles, gloves, and thermometer

• Why Straw• Straw comes from grains (oat,

wheat, flax, rye, barley)• Straw is the by-product after

food removed• Used as animal bedding

• Not Hay• Hay is grass (alfalfa) and will

grow in the bale• Used as animal fodder, it’s food

Area for straw bales prior to clean-up and setting bales in place; old straw mostly decomposed.

Bale placement. We will try parallel to fence next year (you will see why later)

• Conditioning (10-14 days)

• Water & Fertilizer create heat and grow bacteria already in the bale

• Decomposition of bale creates growing medium

Getting Started – Let’s have some fun

*Get the most compact (dense) bale (can weigh 35-75 lbs.)*Leave the baling cords on*Make sure cut side is up (cut ends (looks like a straw) – allows water & fertilizer to soak into the bale)

Fertilizer: Nitrogen is most important

• N (nitrogen) 29• P (phosphorus) 0• K (potassium) 4

Note: Avoid fertilizers with herbicides or pesticides

Day 1 Day 2• Sprinkle one-half (½) cup

fertilizer on cut end surface

• Water in well – until water runs out of bottom of bale

• Water only – keep bale saturated

• Remember you can’t over water – it just runs out the bottom of the bale

April - Sometimes you do not have to water the bales or the plants

Day 3 Day 4• Sprinkle one-half (½) cup

fertilizer on cut end surface

• Water in well – until water runs out of bottom of bale

• Water only – bale my not take as much water but keep bale saturated

• Remember you can’t over water – it just runs out the bottom of the bale

Day 5 Day 6• Sprinkle one-half (½) cup

fertilizer on cut end surface

• Water in well

• Water only – bale my not take as much water but keep bale saturated

• Water should be warmish (ambient air temp) set aside buckets overnight if you don’t have rain barrels

• Cold water from faucet will slow the decomposition

• Start taking temperature of bale

Days 7, 8 & 9• Sprinkle one-quarter (1/4) cup

fertilizer on cut end surface• Water in well• Take temperature of bale; again

temperature can get as high as 150 degrees in the center – not absolute

• Note: Mushroom growth is a good sign (not edible). Shows decomposing bale and bacteria growth – not harmful to bale

• Bale may be getting darker in color

Planted two plants per bale:• Celebrity• Better Boy• Sweet 100• Juliet

Also had two volunteers in the dirt to the right side

Day 10• Sprinkle one (1) cup 10-10-

10 (general garden) fertilizer on cut end surface

• Water

• If voids or cracks form fill with straw or sterile potting mix.

• Do Not use garden soil as this introduces soil pathogens and weeds

Day 11 Days 12-14• Purchase plants or ready your

forced veggies

• Water in well

• Take temperature of bale; bale temperature may start to decline – good sign

• PLANT & Water

• You will need to cut out holes for plants (pruning saw & trowel)

• We use home made compost as an additive

• This is the time to add cages and/poles when plants are small

Mid May

Mid-June

Late-June

July - August Early September

Harvesting one of many baskets

Straw Bales – Why we are limited on space

Native plantings

Side Yard

Front yard

Back Yard

We have also planted potatoes in a bag

Resources – there are manyWebsites: Just type “straw bale gardening” into your search engine

Books: Straw Bale Gardening Complete by Joel Karsten from Cool Springs Press(also an updated edition)

Straw Bale Gardening (from the Idiot’s Guides series) by John Tullock from Alpha

Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales by Craig LeHoullier from Storey Publishing

Nurseries: Teskes – (309) 762-7575 Moline(563) 355-7230 Bettendorf

Wallaces – (563) 332-4711 Bettendorf(563) 445-2458 Davenport

Green Thumbers – (563) 323-0055Hilltop Gardens – (309) 791-8765 Illinois City

A good reason for straw bales – no weeds